Ham Home-cum-Hamgreen Woods facts for kids
| Site of Special Scientific Interest | |
Path in Ham Home Wood
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| Area of Search | Buckinghamshire |
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| Interest | Biological |
| Area | 23.2 hectares |
| Notification | 1984 |
| Location map | Magic Map |
Ham Home-cum-Hamgreen Woods is a special place for nature in Buckinghamshire, England. It covers about 23 football fields (23.2 hectares). This area is known as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, or SSSI for short. It means the land is protected because of its important plants, animals, or geology.
The woods are made of two separate parts: Ham Home Wood and Hamgreen Wood. They are a small piece of what used to be a much bigger forest called Bernwood Forest.
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Discover Ham Home-cum-Hamgreen Woods
These woods grow on clay soil. Even though parts of the forest have been coppiced (trees cut back to help them regrow) over time, the woods have many different types of plants and tiny creatures. Special trees like the wild service tree grow here. These trees tell us that these woods are very old.
Trees and Plants
The main trees you will see are oaks. Below the tall oaks, you can find smaller trees and bushes. These include the wych elm, crab apple, and guelder rose.
In spring, the forest floor is covered with beautiful flowers. You might spot bright primroses and bluebells. In wetter parts of the woods, you can find ragged robin and marsh bedstraw.
Amazing Animals
Ham Home-cum-Hamgreen Woods is a very important home for insects. It has the largest breeding group in Britain of a very rare butterfly called the black hairstreak. This butterfly is special because it is not found in many other places.
Black Hairstreak Butterfly Life Cycle
The black hairstreak butterfly is quite small. It has dark brown wings with a little orange on the underside. These butterflies lay their eggs on blackthorn bushes. The caterpillars hatch and eat the leaves. After they grow, they turn into a chrysalis. Finally, the adult butterfly comes out, usually in June or July. They only live for a few weeks, but they are very important for the woods.
Visiting the Woods
You can visit Ham Home-cum-Hamgreen Woods. There are ways to get there from the A41 road and Grendon Road. It's a great place to explore and see nature up close.
Images for kids
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Path in Ham Home Wood
